As the war enters its 716th day, these are the main developments. Here is the situation on Friday, February 9, 2024. Fighting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy appointed Oleksandr Syrsky, who has led Ukraine’s ground forces since 2019, as the new head of Ukraine’s armed forces, after he dismissed General Valerii Zaluzhnyi in the biggest military shake-up since Russia began its full-scale invasion. Zaluzhnyi conceded that military strategy “must...

Russian leader says deal to release Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich possible after ‘reciprocal steps’. Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned that defeating Russia in Ukraine is “impossible” while insisting he does not seek to expand the war to neighbouring countries such as Poland and Latvia. In a high-profile interview with former Fox News host Tucker Carlson, Putin denied that he had territorial ambitions across Europe and...